Miraculous Ancient Egypt
by SwordGold
Summary: Ancient Egyptian AU based on Ferisae's designs and inspired by Origins and Pharaoh. Just a few drips and drabbles. I'm not good at doing summaries but please let me know what you think.
1. And so it starts

**Author's note:** Hi guys! This is a short collection of drips and drabbles set in the context of Ancient Egypt, inspired by a character design by Ferisae who is an amazing graphic designer, and with the artist's permission I've decided to write this. Please check out their work on: /dAFerisae

I may of come up with some names and background for this but the full credits go to Jeremy Zag, Ferisae and the rest of the Miraculous team. Without them none of this would have been possible.

 **Key and Background information:**

 _Qut – (The pronunciation for 'Cat' in Arabic)_

Qut is the holder of the Black Cat miraculous. His civilian name is Amun and he is regarded as a typical 'street rat' living in the alleys of the main capital of Ancient Egypt.

 _Baq – (The pronunciation for 'Bug' in Arabic)_ Baq is the holder of the Ladybug miraculous. Her civilian name is Kheprera (named after Khepri the scarab beetle god) and she is the eldest daughter of King Tutankhamen the current pharaoh of Egypt.

Under the guidance of their mentor (the head royal shaman of the court) Master Ozo, the vigilante duo work to fight crime at night while still trying to live their daily lives underneath the radar of their king.

* * *

Temper

The princess ran, her expensive gown billowing behind her as her leather sandals slapped against the marble tiling. Kheprera skidded around a corner, hurrying down the narrow passageway that led to the hidden temple. She reached the wooden door, her kwami trailing close behind her as she opened the door with a grunt.

"Sorry I'm late Master," she panted, leaning against the door frame to catch her breath, "I was …" she trailed off, "What in the name of Ra is going on here?!"

Tikki hid as she witnessed the beginnings of chaos itself. The guards had been taking apart Master Ozo's collection – tearing down his sacred tapestries and clearing his desk of ancient scrolls, chucking them unceremoniously into woven baskets.

The princess stormed inside, slamming the door behind her. These men had no right to be here. The guards stumbled forwards, falling to their knees in the presence of royalty. Some were visibly trembling in their armour.

And so they should be, Kheprera thought to herself. She rose to her full height, anger flashing in her uncharacteristically cold brown eyes.  
"How dare you touch the shaman's work," she growled, spitting venom with every syllable. Some of the guards shrank back: never had they witnessed the princess raise her voice before. In some ways, it was even more terrifying than the temper of her father. The pharaoh was known for his short temper, but his heir was seen as a meek and refined young lady. Now she towered over them, radiating an aura more ancient and powerful than the all-powerful Sun god himself.

"My apologies your highness," one of the guards bowed his head lowly, "we are merely following orders."

Kheprera's eyes narrowed.

"Whose orders?" she demanded.

"The Pharaoh's."

The princess felt her heart falter at his words. She could feel Tikki quivering as she hid in the folds of her robes. Why would the pharaoh do such a thing?

Her pulse quickened as she scanned the room.

She couldn't let them take this away. She had recognised the baskets that they used from the start. They were used for burning food. Kheprera had to do something.

"Very well," she relented, "But you are to take them to my private quarters."

A young guard stammered his protests only to be cut off by the princess' unforgiving glare.

"You dare question my authority?" she snapped, channelling her vigilante strength in persona.

His eyes widened, "N-no your highness…"

"Then do as you are told," she finished, imitating her father's icy tone before she left, marching back the way she had come from, before she broke into a run.

"Something doesn't feel right," her kwami murmured, flitting out of her robe as she followed her holder.

The princess nodded, "I'm going to have a chat with my father."


	2. Down to the river to pray

**Author's note:** Hi guys! This is a short collection of drips and drabbles set in the context of Ancient Egypt, inspired by a character design by Ferisae who is an amazing graphic designer, and with the artist's permission I've decided to write this. Please check out their work on: /dAFerisae

I may of come up with some names and background for this but the full credits go to Jeremy Zag, Ferisae and the rest of the Miraculous team. Without them none of this would have been possible.

 **Key and Background information:**

 _Qut – (The pronunciation for 'Cat' in Arabic)_

Qut is the holder of the Black Cat miraculous. His civilian name is Amun and he is regarded as a typical 'street rat' living in the alleys of the main capital of Ancient Egypt.

 _Baq – (The pronunciation for 'Bug' in Arabic)_ Baq is the holder of the Ladybug miraculous. Her civilian name is Kheprera (named after Khepri the scarab beetle god) and she is the eldest daughter of King Tutankhamen the current pharaoh of Egypt.

Under the guidance of their mentor (the head royal shaman of the court) Master Ozo, the vigilante duo work to fight crime at night while still trying to live their daily lives underneath the radar of their king.

* * *

Confrontation

Kheprera burst into the throne room.

"My Lord, we need to talk," she said, still slightly out of breath as she pushed passed his royal advisors.

The dangerous glint in her father's eyes reminded the princess of her surroundings and she dipped into a bow, only rising at the inclination of the Pharaoh's head. He tapped the shaman's sceptre against the base of his throne. Her master's sceptre, Kheprera realised with a start. Anger began to bubble in her stomach like quail soup set to simmer as she clenched her fists. It didn't belong in his hands and it was only pure restraint that kept the princess from snatching it out from the Pharaoh's grasp.

 _Remember your place_ , Tikki seemed to whisper in her mind.

Her kwami was right of course. She wasn't her superhero alter ego at the moment. She was the Pharaoh's daughter. Kheprera couldn't afford to blow her cover.

"My daughter," he regarded her with a smile that didn't quite reach his obsidian eyes, "I was under the impression that you had retired for the night."

Kheprera took a deep breath, slowly unclenching her fists as she inclined her head politely.

"And _I_ was under the impression that you still honoured the gods," she replied smoothly.

The throne room fell silent.

Kheprera maintained eye contact unflinchingly as her father's gaze hardened.

"Leave us."

His advisors obeyed, hurrying out of the throne room with their heads bowed, as father and daughter both regarded each other coldly.

"You _dare_ revoke the gods by destroying the shaman's work?" she scowled.

"You _dare_ question the judgement of your Pharaoh?"

Energy seemed to crackle around the two as tension filled the throne room.

"Besides," King Tutankhamen drawled emotionlessly, "it is already done."

Kheprera's eyes widened.

"No."

She ran from the throne room, darting between startled servants as she sprinted out of the palace gates, tripping in her leather shoes as she stumbled precariously through the royal ferns heading towards the River Nile.

"STOP!" she screamed.

But it was too late.

Shaman Ozo turned around to smile at her before he was pushed off the cliff edge by the royal guards, tumbling down toward the hungry waves of the Nile. She heard the sickening crack of his body smacking against the rocks below before being devoured by the muddied water.

The princess crumbled to her knees as the guards left. She felt numb inside, only registering the quivering form of her kwami that embraced her cheek.

Together, the two quietly recited a prayer to the ancient gods for them to protect the man's soul as his body travelled down the river, hopefully to a better place far away from here.


	3. Dark times and comfort

**Staying Strong**

"Is it true?" He croaked.

It was the first thing that Qut had said since the beginning of their patrol.

Baq bit her lip, unable to look her partner directly in the eye.

She only nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

Qut sighed; his shoulders slumped as they sat down in their usual spot. The Nile roared below them, crashing over rocks and crevices. It seemed to shimmer like blood as the sun set slowly over the distant plains.

Somewhere, amongst the weeds, the body of their mentor lay wallowing in the muddied waters.

Cold. Lifeless.

Baq shut her eyes, fighting back the urge to cry.

A hero never cried.

"I didn't save him."

She should have done more. She should have saved him. The old man's smile as he tumbled off the cliff face still haunted her.

There was a pause, before Qut reached out and took her hand.

"You can't blame yourself for this," he murmured, "None of us can."

Her hand trembled in his as he squeezed it.

 _Would he still think that if he knew who she was behind the mask?_

If there had ever been a time that she was most afraid of revealing herself it was now. Not because she feared persecution, but she feared that her Qut would never look at her the same way again.

Kheprera didn't know if she could handle that.

She rested her head on his shoulder.

Qut stiffened, heat rising up his neck. He gulped, this was perhaps the closest that they had gotten since last time. The memory flashed before his eyes. The way he'd grabbed her hand and held the princess close, hiding her from the rest of the world. The way the sweet aroma of her skin tickled his senses.

Not that she knew it was him that was.

He wondered what she would think of him – if she knew that he was just another lowly street rat. The same question had nagged at back of his mind every time he saw her.

 _What would she think?_

Amun shook his head, mentally forcing the question out of his mind as he wrapped an arm around her waist.

Baq leaned against him, her body visibly unwinding as she gazed towards the dying light. She looked so beautiful, he thought.

Neither would ever admit how warm they felt, wrapped around one another like woven papyrus as they sat with their legs dangling over the edge of the world itself.

"So much has happened since we last did this," she said.

Qut smiled, "It sure has Baq," he agreed, "It sure has."


	4. Love and sacrifice

**Author's note:** Hi guys! This is a short collection of drips and drabbles set in the context of Ancient Egypt, inspired by a character design by Ferisae who is an amazing graphic designer, and with the artist's permission I've decided to write this. Please check out their work on: /dAFerisae

I may of come up with some names and background for this but the full credits go to Jeremy Zag, Ferisae and the rest of the Miraculous team. Without them none of this would have been possible.

* * *

Under the guidance of their mentor (the head royal shaman of the court) Master Ozo, the vigilante duo work to fight crime at night while still trying to live their daily lives underneath the radar of their king.

* * *

Previously, Master Ozo has been sentenced to death for 'high-treason' against the Pharaoh. Despite Kpherera's attempts to save her mentor, the shaman gagged and sent off a cliff into the Nile River. As Baq, Kpherera blames herself for being unable to save the shaman. Despite trying to process the loss of their master, Qut comforts his partner as they watch the sunset over the bleak desert horizon. (See previous chapter)

This drabble picks up during a battle between the Pharaoh and the duo that thwart him mid performing a sacrificial ritual where he hopes to bring back his dead wife Nefertiti (mentioned in Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir Season 1 Episode 3: The Pharaoh).

Warning: Death occurs

* * *

 **Stay with me**

" _Cataclysm!"_

Baq saw it all happen in slow motion. Qut launched himself forwards, his hand taking on the brunt of the blast that should of hit her.

"No!" she felt herself scream as she reached out for him.

The explosion tore through his suit, stretching across his arm into his ribcage. Their eyes met; pale amber on brown as he fell.

She sprang forward, catching him before he could hit the mosaicked floor. Still holding him close, the super-heroine hurled her yoyo, sending her father's sceptre flying over the balcony, watching with detached emotion as the pharaoh flung himself after it.

It was anger alone that kept her going.

"Baq …"

His ring flickered.

 _No, no, no, no, no._

Kheprera's heart went into overdrive as she thrust her yoyo, using all of her remaining strength to keep him close. They flew out of the throne room, collapsing in the corridor right outside of her bedroom quarters.

"Hang in there, Qut," she stammered, "Just stay with me."

She felt her earrings beep again. She ignored it, heaving open the wooden door, before she pulled her partner inside.

She propped him against her bed, "Qut, look at me," she said. Her voice was eerily calm, even to her.

 _Beep._

She shut her eyes as green light filled her room.

Kheprera blinked. She recognised him from the streets. He was the one who had helped her escape from the crowd when her mother had died.

 _Stepmother,_ she corrected herself.

He looked no more than eighteen-years-old – the same age as her. Her voice caught in her throat.

The boy coughed again.

"Qut," she stammered, unable to hide the tremble in her voice as she cupped his face.

He murmured something – her name maybe?

"This isn't how I planned to reveal my identity to you Princess," he grunted.

 _Princess_.

He didn't even flinch when her last spot blinked off and she de-transformed before him.

He knew who she was. He opened his eyes, hazy brown eyes glazed over with pain as he clutched his side. Blood seeped through his tunic.

How he still managed to smile was beyond her.

"I never did manage to catch your name before," she replied, her voice still shaking as she pressed the fabric of her expensive dress against his chest, trying in vain to stem the bleeding.

There was so much blood.

"Amun," he answered with a wince, his ebony skin tinged green as he struggled to sit up.

She didn't let him.

"You knew," she managed to stutter, "You knew who I was."

It wasn't a question.

The teenager nodded, "My dad used to be one of your royal bodyguards," his voice was weak as he coughed again. It sounded like he was choking on his words as he smiled at her, brushing a stray beaded strand of her hair behind her ear with his fingers.

"After the queen died I felt obliged to keep an eye on you," he continued.

"Is that how long you've known for?" she asked.

He shrugged, "Doesn't matter," he said, glancing to the side where Plagg was watching, trembling as he clung to Kheprera's kwami.

They both knew what was happening.

 _It's okay_ , he mouthed in their direction.

Tears were now freely flowing down her cheeks.

Her hands were already covered in blood. His blood.

No matter what she did it kept flowing – kept leaking, pooling around them like water.

"This is all my fault," she murmured, crying now as she held him close, "I'm sorry Amun, I'm so sorry for everything. For not believing you, for putting you in danger, I'm so, so sorry …"

"Hey," the boy replied, silencing her with a shaky finger, "Stop blaming yourself. None of this was your fault – it was never your fault, do you hear me? Never, your, fault." He paused, gasping for air.

"Amun … Amun I love you." She had to say it for him to hear – even if it was just once.

Amun couldn't begin to describe how good it felt to hear her say that. Even when he was bleeding out on her marble floor, hearing her say those four words made his heart flutter.

Kheprera's face seemed to block out the rest of the world. Her eyes were bloodshot, the delicate wings of her black eyeliner running down her face in streams of inky tears.

Never had she looked so beautiful.

She cupped his face in her hand, tracing his lips gingerly before she filled the space between them with her own. He gasped slightly, enjoying the feeling of her soft lips against his.

She was warm.

She broke away, her forehead still pressed against his. Amun took another breath, inhaling the familiar scent of her perfumed skin.

"Please don't leave me," she whispered, the rawness of her sobs tugging at his heart as she clung to him, "I can't do this without you."

The world was beginning to blur around him, pain jutting through his chest so sharply that he bit down a yelp. He held her tighter, ignoring the stabbing pain in his gut as he did so, rubbing her back as if it was her that had been hit.

"Yes you can," he replied, "You can do this Princess, promise me you'll keep fighting."

She nodded.

He forced himself to keep breathing. Keep holding on. She was shaking, her fingers clutching his bloodied tunic, desperately trying to keep him alive.

She couldn't heal him.

Couldn't reverse the damage.

Kheprera. Couldn't. Save. Him.

"I love you," she repeated.

He grinned, his toothy smile as bright as the first day they'd met.

"Love …"

He didn't say anything after that. His eyes were blank; his cattish smile permanently etched into his face as his arms went limp.

She didn't need to feel his heart to know that it had stopped beating.


	5. Pain and numbness

**Author's note:** Hi guys! This is a short collection of drips and drabbles set in the context of Ancient Egypt, inspired by a character design by Ferisae who is an amazing graphic designer, and with the artist's permission I've decided to write this. Please check out their work on: /dAFerisae

I'm sorry for killing our beloved cat (May he rest in peace), but according to the Miraculous canon in the 'Pharaoh' episode, the akumatised villain only mentions Ladybug as being the only mortal enemy that stood in his way, and since I could not imagine Amun abandoning his princess, being mortally wounded seemed to be the logical explanation for his disappearance from her side ...

Please feel free to comment

I love you all

\- _SwordGold_

 **All alone**

"Kheprera," her kwami's voice seemed so far away as the princess clung to her partner's lifeless body. She barely noticed as one of the kwamis began to eat through her supply of dried dates, cringing and muttering something about it not being the same as cheese.

"Kheprera the pharaoh will complete his ritual soon."

She ran her hand over his blank gaze, closing the boy's eyes before she crumbled against his chest. Now he looked like he was sleeping, only his heart did not beat and no breath left his mouth. He was really gone.

"Kheprera we _have_ to go."

"No, I'm _not_ leaving him!" she choked back even as she felt another less familiar kwami flitter towards her. The kwami of the Black Cat reached out to touch her shoulder with his paw. Kheprera wondered whether it was possible to feel numb yet sore at the same time.

"Tikki's right kid, we have to get moving," he murmured, his voice steady despite the way his entire form seem to tremble. This wasn't the first time that Plagg had lost a kitten.

"But it's not right," she stammered as she brushed a dark strand of Amun's hair away from his coppered face. Qut had always been so full of life, making jokes at the most inappropriate of times or recklessly leaping into battle with a smile that glowed with the warmth of the Egyptian sun despite the odds that constantly seemed to stack up against them. Now when she touched his skin it was cold like stone.

She felt both kwamis hovering over her. Their presence was comforting as always but it didn't stem the pain. It felt as if somebody had ripped part of her heart out of her chest crushed it in front of her with Qut's Cataclysmic power. It even hurt to breathe.

"Kheprera please."

The princess sighed as she forced herself to her feet and transformed. She felt the familiar surge of strength that coursed through her veins, compounded by her anger and grief. Then she lifted up Amun's limp body in her arms with ease before resting him ever so gently onto her bed. This way it was much easier to imagine that her cat was just sleeping. Fighting back more tears, Kheprera pressed a soft kiss against the boy's temple, trying to ignore how cold he felt beneath her lips. She hoped that his spirit was travelling to a better place, down the Nile and on to the afterlife.

"I'll be back soon my love," she whispered, stroking his feathery black hair briefly before she took a step back.

"Make that man pay, princess," Plagg murmured, anger flittering in his emerald eyes as he stared at the body of his boy.

Kheprera nodded, "Oh trust me, I will," she promised. No longer did the princess care whether the man was her father, pharaoh or something different entirely.

Kheprera was going to kill him.


	6. The wrath of a god

**No mercy**

"Lucky charm!"

A mirror dropped into the girl's hands in a flurry of red sparkles.

What in the name of Ra was she supposed to do with this?

The heroine's eyes flittered around the courtyard, looking for any ideas. The pharaoh's face then sceptre was highlighted in her vision as he blasted another group of terrified servants into mindless mummies.

 _Of course_ , the princess smiled, stepping out from behind the marble pillar with both her yoyo and mirror in hand.

"Hey pharaoh!" she called out, "Bet you can't turn me into a mummy!"

"We'll see about that!" the pharaoh snarled with the face of Anubis as a ray of light came shooting out of his eyes.

With superhuman reflexes, Kheprera whipped out the mirror. The beam of light was deflected off its surface, right back into the villain's eyes.

"URGH!" the man yelped, dropping his sceptre as he went to clutch his eyes.

"Baq!" Aria screamed.

Kheprera's gaze snapped upwards to see that the girl had almost reached the black void.

No.

She felt her stomach clench with anger. The Pharaoh had already taken away her beloved; there was no way in hell that she was going to let him take away an innocent girl too.

Kheprera leapt forward, scaling the palace walls towards the terrified maid. Using the marble as a springboard the hero soared into the air. She flung her yoyo, its string wrapping around the girl's torso and wrenching her backwards off the top of the pyramid.

Kheprera caught her in her arms, sliding down the side of the pyramid and landing smoothly on the ground below. She checked her maid's pulse. She must have fainted when she was falling. Kheprera settled the girl on the floor against a nearby pillar.

The pharaoh clawed blindly for his staff.

 _Oh no you don't_.

Kheprera launched her yoyo, wrapping it around the sceptre and yanking it away from the man with all of her might. _I'm sorry Master,_ she thought as she called on all of Tikki's strength and broke the sceptre over her knee.

"NOOO!" The Pharaoh roared.

"It's over father," she drawled.

"NEVER," He snarled, "I WILL HAVE MY NEFERTITI BACK! APIS GIVE ME YOUR STRENGTH!"

The man then went to punch her. Kheprera dodged as his fist went flying into the marble pillar where she had been standing seconds before. The marble crumbled beneath the man's fist.

Oh no.

She grabbed the still unconscious girl and pushed her aside just as the ceiling began to cave in above them. She spun her yoyo. The marble disintegrated harmlessly into dust off her shield.

Where was his power coming from? She wondered.

"You cannot stop me Baq," Pharaoh sneered, "I am a god."

The scarab pendant around his thick neck glowed as he tried to call on another one of his powers.

That was it.

She ran at him at full speed from behind, ignoring the logical part of her brain that screamed _"No run AWAY from him NOT towards him you idiot!"_

Before he could say a word she had wrapped her yoyo around his neck, ripping the pendant off its chain and crumbling it in her hand.

"This is for Amun," she growled in his ear, her grip tightening as she pressed the string of her yoyo against her father's neck, "For Master Ozo and every innocent man, woman and child that you've killed – you will die at the hands of a _real_ god."

With that Kheprera gave her weapon one final tug, feeling the sickening crack of his neck snapping before she let go. He fell to the mosaicked floor with a definite thud at the princess' feet, unmoving. Slowly he shrunk back into a man, his stone armour turning back into skin as he lay with his limbs sprawled, his gaze staring blankly to the side.

It was done.

She threw the mirror in the air, watching with detached emotion as the magical ladybugs whooshed around her, repairing the columns of that surrounded the courtyard.

If only it could repair her heart.

* * *

Author's note: Wow O_O what a way to end a battle right? What do you guys think? Also next we might see Tikki's reaction to Kheprera's decision, and how the princess deals with its ramifications. Should be interesting ...

Remember to feel free to comment and like

xox

\- SwordGold


	7. Until we meet again

**Gone**

"I am not happy about how you handled that," Tikki reprimanded as soon as the princess had de-transformed, "The Ladybug has always represented the giving of new life and creation, not taking them!"

Kheprera ignored her, instead walking over to where Amun still lay dead on her bed. Part of her had hoped that her magic would have saved him – reversed the damage that had torn through his chest, but it was too late. He had been gone for too long to be saved by her powers. She ran a hand through his hair.

"Kheprera! Are you listening to me?"

She wasn't really listening to her. Not when her cat lay so peacefully in her bed with the blood drained from his face like a ghost.

He was really gone.

Plagg was resting, curled up on his holder's chest, his form twisting in and out of focus. Kheprera supposed that the holder of a miraculous acted like a kwami's anchor, and without it their magic was greatly weakened.

"You should take it," Plagg said, pointing to the ring that was still on his holder's finger, "Keep it safe."

Kheprera shook her head, "It belongs with Amun," she replied.

The kwami frowned, "This isn't about him anymore kid," he murmured, "This is about making sure that his legacy lives on …"

Kheprera gave the kwami's head a little rub, "But what will happen to you?"

The black cat shrugged, "I'll sleep for a bit in the ring I guess … until next time."

 _Next time._

Tikki fluttered over to give Plagg one last hug, "I'll miss you," she whispered.

"I know," he replied, burying his head against hers for a second before he looked up at the princess, "And kid, I'm sorry that it ended this way."

"I am too," she said, "Until we meet again?"

Plagg had a bit of Amun's grin planted on his face as he bowed his head, "Until we meet again."

And with that, Kheprera removed the ring. The kwami closed his eyes until he faded out of sight. She thought back to what the kwami had said about being one of creation not destruction. Kheprera might not regret what she had done, or how she had ended things with the Pharaoh but she knew that she did no longer deserved to wield the miraculous anymore.

Tikki seemed to be biting back a sob, before she rushed into the arms of the princess.

"I might not be happy about how you handled the situation, but I am proud of you," Tikki murmured.

That warmed up Kheprera's heart a tiny bit as she hugged the kwami back, because despite how things had ended, Tikki was still there for her.

"Thank you Tikki," she stammered. The two held each other, comforting the other as they cried tears of anguish and loss. It was too much to lose both so quickly.

"What do you want to do now?" Tikki eventually asked the princess.

The princess gazed to Amun's body.

"I suppose we should bury him."


	8. A life beyond the river

**Their favourite spot**

The funeral took place at night under the cover of darkness. She took his body to their favourite spot, overlooking the red earth and the Nile that roared below.

 _"May your soul travel down the river,"_ she murmured, tears blurring her vision as she anointed his black locks with her perfume.

 _"May the gods protect you from the fire of the sun as you move on beyond the stars."_

She placed a golden ankh on his chest, folding it over his hands.

 _"May they recognise you as the hero that you are; as the hero you have always been to me and your people."_

Kheprera pressed a soft kiss against his temple, cheek and lips.

 _"May you live amongst the gods for all time, looking over this land that we both used to call home until we meet again in the life beyond."_

She ran her fingers down his toned chest, rubbing oil into his muscles.

He would have probably made an inappropriate comment about this, but his joke of course went unsaid. Finally she stood up, digging the shallow grave by hand.

It was backbreaking work for a princess, but she saw it through nonetheless and once it was done, she gently rested her dearest cat into it like a mother tucking her child to bed.

If only they had had more time.

Finally she went to the now black ring that hung around her neck on a silver chain, intent on breaking the chain and burying it with him but her kwami stopped her.

"You have to keep it until it can be returned to the guardians," Tikki said, "He will not be the last black cat, just as you will not be the last ladybug."

Another black cat – the idea made her gut churn.

Nobody could replace Amun.

Still she nodded and stood up.

She didn't want to bury him – didn't want to say goodbye.

Kheprera looked at her kwami for strength and Tikki supplied it without a word, giving her holder the strength to carry on without her cat by her side.

"Until we meet again," she said.

And with that she sprinkled the last of the dirt over his blank face.

 _Until we meet again._


End file.
